Beauty
by Whimsical Symphony
Summary: AU. Naminé, a timid first year History and Fine Arts student at Hollow Bastion University, sees a beautiful man who lives on the floor below hers in residence; this man is a part time model named Riku. When Naminé, captivated by his beauty, needs a model for her art class, who better to ask than him? Though, approaching him is hard enough for the shy girl. Riku/Naminé
1. The Beautiful Stranger

**Beauty**

_Written by Whimsical Symphony_

**Summary**: AU. Naminé is a timid first year Fine Arts and History student at the University of Hollow Bastion. She is fascinated by the idea of beauty and how to preserve that beauty in her art. By chance, she sees an absolutely beautiful man who apparently lives in her residence building on the floor below hers. She becomes captivated by his beauty alone. Naminé learns that the man's name is Riku and he works as a part time model for the clothing company, Way to Dawn, and is thus, quite popular with the girls on her floor. When she sees him most of the time, he's surrounded by people, though occasionally he smokes by himself outside the building while looking at the stars. At first, she simply looks at him from afar, but eventually, after a chance meeting when he's alone, she introduces herself to him. When she needs a model for her fine arts class, she decides that he's the perfect one, though for timid Naminé, talking to the unapproachable boy is hard enough. Naminé/Riku

_Thank you for reading this story, I appreciate it. This one won't be updated regularly unless I really feel like it since university is killing me. All reviews appreciated, and constructive criticism is welcome. Also letting you all know that 'frosh week' is the week off that us Canadians get before classes start - it's just to get to know people, pretty much._

* * *

**Chapter 1 – The Beautiful Stranger**

Naminé struggled with her baggage after coming to a realization that all the other students had signed out all the trolleys available. Two rolling suitcases, one in each hand, a duffle bag, a backpack with her laptop inside it, and a mini fridge that she currently was not able to carry were the entirety of her move-in materials. The shuttle bus to the university had already gone after it had picked her up from her house and the staff had helped her with loading and unloading the luggage. Now she couldn't take two trips or else someone would run away with her mini fridge. What a dilemma this was.

"Here, you look like you could use a hand," a voice said. When Naminé turned around, she saw a pretty red haired girl dressed flashily who was clearly exuberant and all too ready to help her move in. Her smile was bright, welcoming, which was a plus point for Naminé. She looked talkative as well, which would make up for Naminé's own timidity. "Naminé Fair, right? I saw your nametag. I'm your roommate Kairi."

And she was certainly glad for those nametags now. Hollow Bastion University had provided them in case they happened to run into their roommates, and she had run into hers now. "Thank you," she whispered, staring at her feet. Even though her roommate seemed welcoming, her bright smile and forward friendliness was something she had to get used to. "But, I don't want to impose…"

"Nonsense, nonsense: you're my roommate. I have to help you out 'cause we're going to be great buddies and hang out during frosh week, aren't we?" And with another all too sugary smile which could probably give someone a cavity, she cracked her knuckles once, then twice, and with little effort, lifted up the mini fridge. "Well, the elevator's this way." When she looked at Naminé's slackened jaw and rather surprised look, she chuckled. "Well, I know I don't look too strong, but I am! I'm country bumpkin who's been doing manual labour since before I could talk."

Well, that was unexpected – the girl looked like she couldn't lift her own backpack with her twigs for arms, yet apparently she could lift that and more. Her roommate looked interesting; Naminé was looking forward to getting to know her better. "Thank you again," she murmured.

"Hah, no need to thank me!" Kairi said cheerily. "You don't need to be so shy around me."

Naminé smiled once, a small smile. "I apologize that I'm not the most open person. I… think you're a very kind person though; I'm looking forward to knowing you better." The girl just grinned and walked alongside her into her residence building, a rather stout building that only had about six floors. It was quaint, but homey looking, with peach coloured large brick and small triangular peaked roofs. The gardens looked welcoming as well with flowers of all colours, vibrant and in full bloom; they were certainly well cared for.

Kairi walked into one of the entrances, the less used one with a sketch and shoddy looking dumpster out front, to avoid the crowd. It also happened to be the closest entrance to the elevator which meant that Naminé would get to rest in her room sooner and also get to know her roommate. Her room was on the topmost floor, room 616, so there was certainty that she wasn't going to use the stairs unless she wanted to break her back.

Kairi leaned against the wall for support to hold the fridge up, used one hand to open the door, and then used her foot to keep it open while she grabbed the fridge again and walked through. Naminé followed in after her.

A volunteer stood near the elevator, as well as several other people who also needed to use the elevator. They all looked exhausted, leaning against the walls for support, texting on their phones, and doing other things that bored people tended to do with their extortionate amounts of free time. The volunteer, an upper year female, bashed the 'up' button to call the elevator multiple times. Upon seeing the new entrants, Kairi and Naminé, she faced them with a practiced smile on her face.

"Welcome – I sincerely apologize for this elevator. It's about as slow as an eighty year old woman and it's only getting slower over the years," she joked, though with large amounts of truth baked in. She looked frustrated, and Naminé felt a wave of sympathy for the woman who was probably standing there since early in the morning dealing with the failing elevator. She could see that Kairi also felt sympathetic for her, her mouth drawn into a frown. Almost as if answering the prayers of the woman, the elevator arrived. When everyone started to shuffle, she stopped then. "Whoa there, we've got to go in one by one and fit in as many of you as possible."

And so, with much pushing, shoving, and elbowing, they managed to fit an unreal number of residents and parents into the elevator, only leaving a few straggling outside for the next ride and the volunteer waving farewell cheerily. Naminé was awkwardly pushed up against the corner of the elevator, Kairi, a brown haired girl who looked equally as uncomfortable as her, and a mother of one of the residents.

"Ouch!" she squeaked when the brown haired girl inched over and stepped on her foot. Kairi looked at her in concern.

"Sorry!" the brown haired girl said. "I didn't mean to step on you, but I'm finding it kind of hard to see anything," she admitted sheepishly. She awkwardly held her hand out on an angle for Naminé to shake. "I'm also finding it hard to give you a proper handshake, but we'll have to deal with it. I'm Olette who's going to be on the sixth floor, room 617."

"I can't really shake your hand," Naminé said softly, chuckling. "I'm Naminé Fair, also on the sixth floor. We're going to be neighbors… nice to meet you."

"And I'm Kairi, her roommate," Kairi introduced, grinning. "I wish I could shake your hand as well, but it's a little difficult given the circumstances and all."

"Oh no, no worries at all – we'll just say that we did shake hands," Olette said decisively. Naminé couldn't believe she'd just met her neighbor within the confines if an overly crowded elevator. Her neighbor was also pleasant. She wondered now how many unpleasant people were going to be on her floor – druggies, chronic alcoholics, chain smokers, and wild party animals that brought men home to spend the night. She could predict that there would be a few party animals, considering that it was university and all, perhaps a few chronic alcoholics as well. She hoped there'd be less chain smokers though.

* * *

After the elevator had brought them to their destination, Kairi and Naminé simply swiped their room keys into door to the floor, since it was an all-girls floor, and then swiped again to get into their rooms. It was a decently sized room with smooth grey floors, two twin beds, a wooden desk with two chairs annexed to the large wardrobe, and a chest of drawers. There was also an arched window with long red drapes, courtesy of Hollow Bastion U. Kairi's luggage was set near the entrance, and her mini fridge was already plugged in.

"It's pretty nice, though I do miss carpets," Kairi said almost sadly. "But whatever – I'm ready to start university life!" With that, she collapsed on her bed, the one further from the window.

"It is… quite nice," Naminé agreed. They spent that afternoon in silence, organizing their belongings, dividing up the drawers, folding clothes.

"So, what're you planning on majoring in for second year?" Kairi asked, breaking the silence while folding her clothes.

"History and Fine Arts," Naminé answered, flushing. It was always difficult to speak about herself to others, and there was also the paranoia that people would tease her. They always did in her high school years, and Naminé simply lacked the confidence to defend herself. Children and adolescents were cruel and that's all she truly learned in high school. They were cruel and never ever bothered to even attempt to know her – when they found out she was an introverted artist, they couldn't help but giggle and snicker each time she walked by them.

"That's awesome! I wish I could do art," Kairi exclaimed, honestly amazed. "I'm specializing in English – I've always wanted to write." While humming to herself gaily, she started to talk again. "So, tell me about yourself."

Naminé blushed deeply and began to speak quietly. "I'm eighteen, I grew up in an upper-middle class family in Traverse Town, and I've always been interested in art and beauty, and how to preserve that beauty. I've always been timid… shy… so I was often teased by other kids…" she trailed off uncertainly before seeing the encouraging, urging look she was getting from Kairi. It reassured her into continuing. "Hollow Bastion U offered a good program, the top program, so I wanted to see if I would be good enough to attend."

"The programs here are good, it is one of the top universities after all," Kairi agreed. She approached Naminé then, and held her shoulders. "I don't know why anyone would tease you though – you're super cute." Naminé averted her eyes, too embarrassed to do anything else. Kairi just smiled. "Oh, I've heard that the art students need to find a model as well though, to sketch for their assignments. I wonder who you're going to pick."

"I wonder as well," Naminé replied almost dazedly. She would hope to find a model who was magical, who was unique and created a shock in her, a special, warm feeling which made her enjoy sketching them to the greatest degree. That was the type of model she wanted, someone irreplaceable, someone as beautiful as the stars. Though, with her luck, when she attempted to find them, it would be daytime and her model would be just as elusive as the stars as well. It would do her well to keep her eyes peeled for anyone who matched such a description, anyone she could draw.

* * *

The rest of the day had passed by in a blur for Naminé. She found herself putting on her jacket, getting ready to go to the grocery store with a few of her floor mates to pick up some supplies. She wasn't exactly sure how she'd met them all, actually, considering she'd met all of them so quickly, but she was pleased to discover what amiable people they all were. Though, because she just met them, she wouldn't be surprised if some of them had strange quirks and anger management issues. They just had to show themselves. Shutting the door behind her after putting her wallet and phone into her purse, she met her floor mates in the hallway.

"Are you ready to go now?" Kairi asked her when she stepped out into the hall. Naminé nodded and then smiled at each of the five people who were travelling with her.

"What do we need to get from the grocery store?" Naminé questioned curiously while walking beside them all.

"Well, instant noodles for one – it's the only source of nutrition for busy university students who're all holed up in their rooms," Yuffie stated, nodding. Yuffie Kisaragi could quite possibly be the most cheerful person that Naminé had ever met. She was not only cheerful, but incredibly hyper, and gave her a tight hug when they'd met earlier on in the day and showed her an infectious grin. She learned that the girl was majoring in Economics, even though she found it nothing more than dull. Apparently she'd come from an exceptionally wealthy family, and her father, Godo, felt it necessary for her to major in Economics in order for her to help out with the family business. Yuffie had no choice, but decided to make the best out of her university experience. Naminé noted that she was a 'glass half full' kind of person.

"Instant noodles aren't good for you. You shouldn't eat them all the time," Olette admonished. Yuffie simply whistled innocently and ignored the girl. Olette, Naminé and Kairi's neighbor, was an extremely studious girl, one who always had her nose in a book. She was a Life Sciences student, and had gotten in on scholarship due to her unreal grades. Naminé also noticed she was like a mother hen. When Naminé had visited her room, she immediately asked if she wanted any tea or cookies and made both her and Kairi comfortable.

"She won't listen to you – she hardly listens to anyone," Selphie stated, snickering. Her face lit up then. "Oh, but in any case, I hope we run into some of the boys from the fifth floor – it's so lame being in isolation like this." Selphie Tilmitt was a bubbly brunette who was Yuffie's partner in crime, as it so appeared. Both of them seemed to have unimaginable amounts of energy and not enough to use it up on. Selphie was also, Naminé had to note, quite boy crazy, although she was a rational person. When she'd thought of university, she'd thought of attractive boys who may have lived near her and going on nice, quiet dates with them in the park. Naminé wondered if she would meet someone she deemed appropriate within the next few weeks, though. She would love to hear about him. She was going to major in Film.

"I'm more looking forward to getting fruits for my mini fridge," Xion added quietly. Xion was the most similar member to Naminé herself. She was quiet, secluded, and lived solely for her music, mainly her flute, which was why she chose to major in Music. She was an artist. Xion, apparently, went to the same high school as Yuffie. Yuffie described her as generous and kind, but given the right circumstances, could get angry rather quickly. Apparently, she was fiercer than she looked and could cause quite a bit of harm, though Yuffie said that she would sacrifice anything for her friends once she knew them. She was closed, but then if time was spent with her, she would give her friends a key to her heart, to open the contents within, to let herself remain vulnerable in front of them.

So, they opened the door to their floor and proceeded down the stairs. When they passed the fifth floor, the door opened. The girls stared at it curiously. Out existed a male, the most beautiful that Naminé had ever seen, with short, stylishly cropped silver hair and aquamarine eyes. His features were chiselled as well, and not a single blemish marred his pale skin. He dressed fashionably, much more so than any normal university student would wear, with all the unnecessary zippers, and the oversized boots. He looked at them briefly with a blank expression on his face, and then began to walk down the stairs.

When he had left, silence travelled through the group of females, until Selphie broke it. "Holy hell, I don't think I've seen anyone that gorgeous in a long time."

"In a long time?" Kairi stated in disbelief. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone like that in all my eighteen years."

"Definitely, that was one hot piece of meat!" Yuffie agreed shamelessly. When Olette looked at her, quirking an eyebrow, Yuffie pouted. "What? He was."

"What did you think, Nami, Xion?" Kairi asked.

Xion remained silent, though the telltale blush on her face alluded to the fact that she did find the male quite pleasing to the eye. Naminé on the other hand had a face that was beet red. When he had looked at her, she felt an electric shock travel through her body at supersonic speeds. Her heart seemed to pump to a new rhythm she hadn't ever learned, _thump, thump, thump._ And inside, she felt almost uncomfortably warm, like if she had to face the fate of never talking to him, then she'd collapse.

* * *

They travelled to the nearby grocery store to pick up supplies and then ultimately found themselves lugging bags upon bags of food back to residence late at night. The night air was clean, and stars shone brightly, and there were other groups of friends walking as well. There were many noises, of vehicles, of people chatting, and neon signs of stores flickered, and late night café's remained open and ever bustling. They all chatted to each other amiably; Naminé hadn't remembered when she'd last talked to friends like she was now. She thought that she would never need friends, that she would never be able to have them, but she was with them now talking as if they'd known each other for such a long time. It was a funny thing, even though she hadn't known them for long at all.

"Have you guys checked out the schedule for the week?" Selphie asked excitedly. "Loads of ice breakers, concerts, and parties."

"It sounds fun. I'm looking forward to getting to know more people. Starting here was a bit daunting since I didn't know anyone," Olette explained, looking slightly embarrassed. "Though, partying really isn't my thing."

"I know how you feel," Kairi sympathized. "Though I would love to party. Frat parties are actually sounding pretty good."

"You think Hot Meat will be there?" Yuffie asked, munching on a cookie she had bought at the store. When the others looked at her and sighed, she just looked at them blankly. "What? It would be awesome to go if he would be there." In part, Naminé wondered how she had made such talkative companions when she was about as outgoing as a mouse.

"He is quite… beautiful," Xion admitted, though looking at her feet, hiding her face from view.

And almost as if he had heard her confession, the group saw him at the entrance to their residence building, sitting upon one of the ledges which enclosed large, exotic flowers. He smoked there while looking at the sky, several people around him, some females Naminé didn't recognize, some other males. While they all chatted to each other though, he remained silent, even though some of the girls brushed against him, punched him playfully, clearly flirting with him; he didn't reciprocate, the group saw when they walked by him taking subtle glances. He remained closed off, brushing off any affection.

"Oh Riku, when are you going to bring me to the studio?" one of the girls asked the male, an attractive dark haired girl. He looked at her for a moment, expressionless.

"Hmm… I don't know, though don't put your hopes on it – I don't particularly want to bring you," he admitted bluntly. The other girl flushed, humiliated, while the females and males around her snickered.

Naminé wondered if he was always so unapproachable, that if she approached him at the right time, would he smile? She wondered if he was accommodating sometimes. She somehow knew that he should have been her model for classes, so she wanted to search up the criteria. Would this young man, Riku, become her model sometime in the future? Naminé certainly hoped so, and if not, she hoped to find someone just as captivating to draw, in order to preserve their beauty in art forever.

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_Words: 3 247_


	2. The Art of Mingling

**Beauty**

_Written by Whimsical Symphony_

_Hello, all. This is the newest chapter of Beauty. I'm also working on Blossoms in Midgar and Proverbial Revitalization and am about halfway done the newest chapters for both, so they'll be out eventually. Hope you enjoy this. I tried to give it a more realistic feel for what university is like. Those who've ever been to a party with loads of drunken people can connect to me here. I also tried to make Riku sympathetic yet aloof. I'd love any constructive criticism or comments – I love to answer when I actually have the chance, to nice reviews. In any case, enjoy._

* * *

**Chapter 2 – The Art of Mingling**

It was when Naminé had woken up the next morning that she saw Kairi getting ready. The girl was putting makeup on her face and then, upon seeing Naminé awakening, smiled happily. Naminé wondered how she put so much effort into dressing well, in a cute, bubbly, and flirty way. Kairi had told her the day before that dressing well made her feel good and confident, like a strong, independent woman.

"Hey Nami," Kairi said while applying her foundation to her skin. "Guess what?" When Naminé just looked at her curiously after whispering a soft 'good morning', she continued. "We got invited to a bash on the third floor today – apparently they're hosting a party in their hallway at 10 O' clock. I wonder how that's going to turn out. Want to go check it out?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face.

"Partying… isn't really my thing though," Naminé told her, getting out of bed herself now. She made her bed quickly, a few masterful folds and pulling of the bed sheets. She yawned once.

"Please?" Kairi pleaded. "Just to check it out – if things get too rowdy, we'll just leave, okay?" She then took a quick glance at her frosh schedule, debating what activities were actually worth attending.

Naminé thought about whether she should go. All the horror stories she'd heard in high school about parties came rushing back to her like it did when she'd forgotten information for a test and then remembered immediately before. Would there be extremely sketch individuals at the party? Strange, eccentric individuals who would coerce her into a serious drinking game? Naminé highly doubted she would be able to drink _anyone_ under the table. But then, she thought about who might attend, she thought about that beautiful silver haired male who she had heard talking for the first time yesterday with a voice as smooth as chocolate, high quality chocolates of course. And, because his beauty fascinated her, she decided to go. "I'll go, Kairi. A-as… as long as we stick together – I don't want to be left alone," she said bravely, standing tall. And it was true that in no way would she want to be left alone at a party of presumable drunken people.

"Certainly," Kairi said, finishing up with her makeup. "I'll only leave you alone if you manage to talk you know who, just so you can manage to get some male and female bonding done." She smiled slyly.

"Kairi!" Naminé exclaimed, scandalized. "I would never!" The flush travelled down from her cheeks to her neck and back, and her heart thumped at unnatural rhythms.

"Sure you wouldn't! You're dying to meet him and probably do something a little frisky, aren't you?" Kairi teased. She really could be quite the devil, teasing Naminé like that, knowing she was quite captivated by the young man's beauty. "What was his name again? Riku, I heard the girl call him, I believe."

"I don't like him, I just like his appearance," Naminé explained, ignoring Kairi when she said 'frisky'. "I'm an artist; I want to draw his face, his physique."

"Sure, sure," Kairi said, laughing. "I like his physique as well, we all do."

Needless to say, Naminé would be red for the next day or so, constant blushes filling her cheeks with a rosy hue.

* * *

That afternoon, the girls had gotten their first try of residence food at the cafeteria. It was buffet style cafeteria with main course choices, pizza, desserts such as ice cream, and a sandwich bar. Drink machines lined the walls with a variety of soda and a small cooking station was in the corner for anyone who didn't find the meals to their fancy. Dry cereal was also available along with ice cream in large tubs.

The choices for food on that day consisted of steak, rice, and a strange combination of tofu and gravy. Naminé herself had taken the rice and tofu, but didn't get the steak. Selphie had noticed this.

"Ah, you're a veggie, Nami?" she asked curiously, handing her own plate over to the cafeteria lady. She plopped the steak and rice on her plate.

"Well, not really," Naminé told her, making her way through the line. "I used to be, but I do occasionally eat fish. I have an incredibly weak constitution and fish builds it up, but I don't have any other type of meat…"

"You get sick often?" Kairi questioned, grabbing her juice from the drink machine and heading to join the rest of their group at the table. The three, Naminé, Selphie, and her walked together to the table, holding their plates precariously.

"Every week or so…" Naminé admitted, almost ashamed. "I can't help it though. I catch viruses easily. My immune system doesn't do much." She didn't want to admit to her friends that it did get quite serious, that she had gotten a particularly bad strain of influenza and had also caught bronchitis five times and pneumonia twice, that she was more than just weak. She probably looked strange wearing such a thick jacket outside, one with warm down filling, but she couldn't afford to be sick before school started because she wouldn't be able to recover quickly.

"That's terrible – no wonder you're wearing such a thick coat," Kairi said sympathetically.

The conversation stopped before they sat down at the table and they all started to eat. Naminé didn't find the food too appealing, to be honest, but she assumed it would get better over time. In order to futilely make everything taste just a bit better, she mixed the tofu with the white rice and then ate it, but it was still overly bland.

"Huzzah to residence food!" Yuffie cheered sarcastically and plopped a forkful of the steak in her mouth, chewing in an exaggerated manner. The rest of them chuckled.

"Can't expect a five star meal from residence," Olette told her. "We're going to have to get used to it, aren't we?"

"Yes, mom," Yuffie said grumpily and ate some more. Chewing a little more, her eyes scanned the numerous heads in the cafeteria – until her gaze landed one who just waltzed into the place like he owned it, hands in his pockets. He walked into the kitchen to grab some food and then walked out. He put his plate on the table directly next to them, pulled out his cellphone and began to text while picking at his foot with a fork. It was Riku, who looked far too dressed up, just like the night before, no, even more so. When Naminé looked at the long fingers which were texting, they were adorned with plenty of ornate rings, and his wrists, a black leather bracelet of some kind. "Holy cow!"

Xion also looked at him, amazed that he was sitting beside them on the next table over. "It's him…" she whispered.

Something told Naminé that she liked him quite a bit, if it wasn't obvious by the dreamy look on her face, the look that made it seem as if she was in a different world altogether. She wasn't certain what she was supposed to feel about that. Naminé realized even then, seeing him eating at a table, she wanted to draw him. He had some kind of innate grace with whatever he did, including picking at residence food.

"How did I know we'd see him again?" Olette asked, sighing. "He seems to make everyone here pretty speechless, including myself of course. You don't see guys like that back where I come from."

"Where do you come from, Olette?" Naminé asked curiously. She needed to get to know them all better, so that their relationships wouldn't end up like her relationships back with everyone at high school. She didn't think she'd be able to bear that again. She was also naturally curious about where they all came from. Kairi just said she'd come from a rural region, and the rest, she had no idea.

"Oh, I come from Twilight Town – it's a pretty small place, not much entertainment either. We only really had Struggle competitions. I wanted to always move out to the big city, particularly Hollow Bastion. I worked hard to keep up my grades so I'd be able to attend this university," Olette explained almost bashfully. She took another bite of food before continuing. "I hung out with three other guys during my high school years, and so we all made a pact to get here someday. I think we all did, I just need to find them. I don't think they're in our residence building." By the end of this though, she laughed bitterly, and the expression on her face was more than just forlorn. She dropped her fork and didn't touch her food for a full moment.

"You… lost contact with them?" Xion asked quietly. She put her hand on top of Olette's, a mode of comfort almost. Naminé wished she could be so brave as to do that, but to see Olette's near crying face was more than enough to make her shy away, to feel that if she did that, it would be imposing. But more than just uncomfortable, it made Naminé feel disjointed from society – she'd had no friends to actually have a falling out with, so she couldn't connect with Olette's sorrow. But even then, she felt tears collect in her eyes, from what, she didn't know – she just knew that Olette having lost contact with her friends was almost the same if Naminé were to lose contact with her family, her beloved brother, her mother and her father who helped her through everything.

"Ah, yeah," Olette wiped her eyes. "Sorry about that… it's just rather sad. I wanted to find them all, to apologize, to fix the mess." She didn't elaborate, but all of them could easily see she didn't want to divulge the issue, to talk about it any further. And then, more tears started to pour from her eyes. Olette was sobbing, her shoulders heaving, her cheeks flushed. It all happened so suddenly that the rest of them couldn't fathom how to react. Xion tightened her grip around Olette's hands, Yuffie paused mid bite, not eating anymore, quickly moving to give her a hug, and Kairi pat her on the back, a frown marring her features. Selphie was also quick to stroke her hair in an almost motherly manner. Then there was Naminé, not knowing what to do. But all their efforts were helpless, futile, for she continued to weep. "I just want them back…"

Before any of them would whisper words of comfort to her broken self, a hand was shoved in front of Olette's face, holding napkins, familiar fingers with rings of all shapes and sizes. Looking up, to her surprise, the one holding them was Riku. Yuffie looked to be in the most shock though, almost hyperventilating because he was so close to them all. "Here, you look like you could use them." His voice was just as silky as the last time she'd heard it.

Blushing, Olette took them from his hand gratefully. "Thank you," she whispered. She dabbed her eyes gently with them.

He began to walk away then, much to the disappointment of them all, but then stopped in his tracks. He turned his head around to talk to them. "I couldn't help but tune into your conversation," he said. "I know my advice may not count for much since you don't know me, but if you have an issue with a friend, I think you shouldn't cry about it – it does nothing for you, just makes you feel more dead inside." He paused before continuing. "Fix it, apologize, do whatever, just don't cry. The more you cry, the more you lose courage to apologize and then the problem will never be fixed. Trust me, I know where you're coming from," he added reluctantly, "and I refuse to cry because then... I wouldn't ever be able to fix my mistake." He looked at Naminé then, his expression almost sympathetic, though with still that aloofness he had shown them. "There's a such thing as being too sympathetic, so much that you feel it yourself both physically and emotionally. Try not to let it affect you – it only makes your thoughts become plagued with misery." With that, he made his exit, not giving them one look back. He walked out slowly. Other people in the cafeteria watched him as well, watched him walk out with his head held high. It only made sense that someone of his caliber would attract so much attention.

He had referred to her as well, attempted to comfort her with his strange, but sound and soothing advice. So Naminé stopped crying, stopped remembering all her bad moments in life where she'd simply felt alone as all the teasing would push its way into her, worm its way into her already sore heart. She wouldn't have been able to get through that if not, most of all, for her brother Zack who'd held her as she cried without the smallest complaint in the world, cooing to her, healing her battered heart with the warmth from his soul.

She wondered though, what Olette thought of his words, and what he meant by understanding where she was coming from. It seemed that he had his own issues he had to deal with about friends, falling out and making up. She wanted to know his story, the sorrow behind his beauty, what made him extend a gracious hand to assist the lamenting woman.

"What he said made a lot of sense, you know?" Yuffie said, after he had gone. "It surprises me that someone like him is actually pretty deep."

"Definitely… he didn't strike me as that type," Selphie said quietly in an almost absentminded manner. "He didn't seem like the type to actually care enough to give sound advice. I think I may have judged him too soon, thinking he may have been both shallow and arrogant, but just eye candy." She had put a lot of thought into it. Naminé wondered if his words echoed to her as well, if she had wounds that needed healing as well with soft, comforting words.

Olette nodded. "I'm going to take his advice: I'm not going to cry anymore. Then when I see Roxas, Pence, and Hayner, we can all be like we used to. I'll apologize and beg on my knees if I have to, all without shame." And she said this so firmly, so genuinely, that all of them couldn't help but be happy for her, content at the newest step she had taken to solve her problem.

"You'll meet them again someday," Naminé added. "I know you will." She had never felt so encouraged to say something so personal before. But perhaps it was still her sympathy at work, her sympathy which made her feel the pain in her own abdomen and heart like a knife was pushed through her.

"Good luck, Olette, I know you can do it," Xion told her shyly, smiling. "We all have faith in you."

They all did, and in part, that may have been due to the influence from Riku for giving them that hope, for cheering Olette up. He was definitely a fascinating individual.

* * *

Night came quickly enough, so Kairi was naturally enthusiastic about her first university party. She got dressed up and put more powder on her face, prepared to look good. Surprisingly enough, during the day, she'd somehow gotten a hold of a bottle of vodka and pulled it from the fridge, ready to take it down with her. Naminé knew quite well she'd have to keep an eye on the soon to be drunk Kairi to ensure that nothing happened to her.

"Nami, if you want some, just ask, okay? I got it for the both of us – no need to get super smashed, but who says we won't want a pleasant buzz?" Kairi told her, putting her purse and her cellphone in her purse to carry along with her.

"I probably won't…." Naminé told her reluctantly. Though, at the same time, the fact she was in university was reason enough to try it once, perhaps to liberate herself, do something that no one would expect her to do. There were so many people who would have expected little Naminé to sit in her room and study, not go to a party and get buzzed. That was enticing, that she could behave unpredictably. "On second thought," she said, looking at Kairi, "I might."

"Drink responsibly though, Nami. Some pretty unpleasant things can happen at parties if you don't," Kairi warned. "I'll keep an eye on you as well."

Naminé wondered when it had become her who was suspected as someone who was soon to be smashed when Kairi was the one with the vodka. But then, perhaps Kairi wasn't as much of a lightweight as Naminé. Maybe it took quite a bit to actually get her drunk.

* * *

Naminé was completely mistaken when it came to Kairi. The girl's cheeks were flushed and she was clearly drunk, talking to everyone, hugging random people who just happened to walk in, and forgetting facts about herself that she should have known. She hadn`t drank a lot either. Yuffie wasn't faring much better, and neither was Selphie. Naminé was standing beside Olette – the girl decided it better to not get drunk at all. Or rather, she did drink quite a bit, but the alcohol didn`t affect her. Her tolerance was something to be envied. She was also beside Xion who hadn`t drank even the teensiest bit of alcohol and looked a bit uncomfortable in the party environment.

Not that Naminé blamed her in the least…

It was a narrow hallway with rooms all the way down, some open, some closed, and a small common room with loads of people from every floor squished into it. People couldn`t fit there, so the party also moved out into the hallway and in people's rooms, the latter being rather disgusting as people decided to hook up right then and there. The music pumped so loudly that it was hurting Naminé's eardrums.

"Hey sweets," a male said. When Naminé looked up, she realized it was a tall, very drunk male. He balanced himself by putting his hand on the wall above her head. He was having issues though, stumbling. "How about we get some alone time, hmm?" It was then she realized that the drunken male was attempting to hit on her. She didn't know how to react.

"I don't think she_ wants _any alone time with you," Olette said bluntly and took Naminé to her side. "So go take your drunken flirting elsewhere.'

"But I don't want to!" he whined. "I like this girl right here."

"What?" Naminé squeaked, frightened.

And then it was Kairi and Selphie who appeared out of nowhere, a bottle of beer in each of their hands. Kairi was the first to start grabbing at the male's Hollow Bastion U sweater by the sleeves, looking exceptionally angry (and drunk), so much that it made Naminé touched. Selphie grabbed the man's other sleeve and had a maniacal smile pasted on her face.

"Leave my roommate alone, you… you… meanie!" Kairi scolded and pulled at the man's sleeves harshly.

"Yeah, leave Nami alone you… idiot!" Selphie added, swaying on her feet, having problems actually searching for his sleeves and pulling.

"Fine, jerks!" the male said and burst into tears. "I just wanted to… to get a girl, finally, you know?" And he leant against the wall and sat down in the hallway.

"Oh my god! Don't worry!" Kairi sat down beside him and began to pat him on the shoulder. "We'll listen to you. Feel better… we'll be with you all the… all the way!" She yelled this in a way that was fit for someone who was completely unscrewed.

"Yeah, sorry, man. We'll help you out, you know? You'll get the girl someday," Selphie added, nodding. She sat beside them both and also sought to comfort the obviously distraught male.

Olette, Naminé and Xion watched in disbelief as this was going on before them. Yuffie then snuck up behind them and hugged Naminé tight. "Boo! Surprised you, didn't I?" she said with a huge grin on her face and with a bottle of vodka in her hands.

"You've had enough to drink… I think," Xion said timidly.

Naminé groaned as Olette took the bottle of vodka away from Yuffie and scolded her harshly. She passed it to Naminé almost unknowingly as she continued to yell. Meanwhile the music got louder and louder and people, more drunk, became less hesitant about their public displays of affection. Naminé then, somehow, lost all of them in the crowd. She weaved her way through numerous bodies, some of which were grinding against each other to the music, shamefully enough, in order to find them.

It was then that she decided maybe to try a bit of the vodka, see what was so tempting about alcohol that actually made people want to get drunk on it all the time. So she tried it and coughed. Strangely enough, it didn't taste all bad, so she had more, and before she knew it, she was swaying to the beat as well. It felt good to be unpredictable – for some reason, it felt as if she were besting her high school bullies.

She knocked herself right into someone and started to chuckle, barely knowing that she was being held up by a pair of arms.

"I never thought you'd be the type, though I guess everyone gives into temptation at least once," the voice said. Naminé didn't even register who it was before she passed out.

* * *

_Words: 3 654_


	3. The Vibes

**Beauty**

_Written by Whimsical Symphony_

_Hello! Here is the newest chapter to Beauty. I hope you all enjoy. Any comments and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated._

* * *

**Chapter 3 – The Vibes**

Naminé opened her eyes slowly; light entered in a small tunnel within the former darkness. And when it did, she immediately shut her eyes harshly and moaned. She felt as if all her energy was spent, and her head hurt almost as much as it would have had she voluntarily smashed it against the wall. It was a painful throb in her skull that never ceased, no matter how she would want it to. She wondered vaguely what had happened the night before. She remembered Kairi and Selphie's drunken attempts warding off the drunken man, Yuffie drinking far too much, Xion remaining sober and quiet, and Olette chastising them. Then, the moment of truth – she, Naminé, the shy, artistic, mousy girl, had taken the vodka and had far too much to drink.

She shot up out of bed. Looking around she noticed something amiss: _bed? _This was not her bed, and these were not her sheets. Her sheets were not red, grey, and white plaid, nor were they as smooth. She looked around, panicked, at her unfamiliar surroundings. The room was a simple dorm room, like hers, but far less cluttered than her own. A desk lamp sat beside a pile of textbooks, the curtains, crimson red, remained closed.

"Oh, so you're awake," a voice said. When Naminé had turned around, she paled instantly. The person in front of her was the same, beautiful person who she had seen on her first day, and the very same individual who had comforted Olette. He had a smirk on his face and held a cup of an unknown substance in his right hand. "You look like you've gotten a monstrous hangover, no?"

"W-where am I?" she squeaked, though did she attempted to look braver. She held the covers closer to her form in her own fear.

"My room, of course, where did you think you were?" he stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the entire world. Upon seeing her pale even further, to an unhealthy degree, he started chuckling. "Nothing happened, idiot. You fainted on me last night, and since you were so far gone and I didn't know where your room was, I just took you here. Shame, because now you can stalk me." He was clearly teasing her, and passed her the cup. She flushed, ashamed he would think she'd stalk him. "You might want some tea. It will make you feel better, and quench your thirst. Alcohol makes you feel a bit parched."

"Thank you," she mumbled, and took a sip. It was definitely soothing – it travelled down her throat easily like water down a stream, or a hot spring, considering how warm and pleasant it was.

He took a seat on the chair next to his desk and rolled it over to her bed. "So, nice to meet you then, I suppose." He stuck out his hand. She shook it hesitantly. "My name is Riku. I want to do a double major in Biology and Psychology for next year." He paused for a moment, letting the information sink in for her. "What about you?" he asked.

For some reason, hearing his rich voice did make her feel relaxed. Despite his obvious beauty and his aloofness sometimes, he didn't seem to be a bad person; in fact, he seemed to be a little too kind, going out of his way to nurse her back to health.

"Naminé: I want to be a History and Fine Arts major. I apologize for the inconvenience I've caused," she muttered, abashed. "I made you waste some time." Naminé did feel deeply disappointed in herself. She had caused this young man waste time on her thoughtless self when he could have been doing anything more important.

"It's fine," he replied smoothly. "It's much more important that you're feeling better. I can assume, at the very least, that this is the first time that you've gotten drunk like that." His smile only became slyer, making Naminé flush deeper in embarrassment. "Don't worry about me – all that matters is you right now. Even last time I saw you, I told you not to be so sympathetic, right? It just makes you feel more miserable."

He seemed much warmer than when she had seen him with his friends, smoking, almost mocking the woman who had had the gall to flirt with him. Now, he didn't seem so cold and aloof, so determined to ignore people. Back then, he seemed so in tune with the darkness, completely synchronized like the moon and the stars to the night sky. But then, she had learned that when he had comforted Olette, something he didn't have to do because he didn't know her at all, he actually had that important piece of heart within him, one that made his kindness like a lit candle, beautiful, eternally burning. "You seem so much more approachable now," she mumbled. Then, when she had realized what she had said, she slapped a hand over her mouth and paled. Riku looked at her curiously.

"I seem more approachable?" Riku repeated in a questioning manner. Last he saw her, he thought he had been approachable. Perhaps he hadn't been, as he had thought. The female in front of him reminded him of a rabbit, so easily frightened by the world around her. She even seemed to use his covers as a veil to protect her and shield her. He didn't know why he found that so… cute. This girl was so different from the girls he was used to being on a regular basis with – she was a new flavour, and decidedly, an appealing one.

"Actually… I… the first time I saw you was in the stairwell, then you were with a group of people smoking outside," she explained carefully. "But then, there was this girl talking with you and you seemed uninterested in whatever she was saying. I thought you were a very cold person then…" She wondered what had given her the courage to explain that to him, although she did seem a bit awkward. Naminé wondered if the boy, Riku, would think she was actually stalking him.

"Ah…" Riku replied, noncommittally. "Because I don't like when girls flirt with me, at all, especially when they act all self-important, like they're entitled for me to take them out." Naminé looked at him, confused. He sighed and continued. "I work as a part time male model at a clothing company. Girls just seem hooked on that, I suppose. What you saw was one of them asking if I could take them to the studio."

Then, Naminé felt her heat beat faster at the thought of how perfect the situation seemed. She wouldn't need to even tell this male how to stay a still if she drew him. He would be able to pose perfectly and she would be able to preserve his beauty in art forever. Paper and the smell of charcoal invaded her senses, making her feel lightheaded from just the thought of being able to do something like that, to awe people with this man as a starting point.

Would it be worth it to ask him, she wondered. Could she jump over the hurdle which had had become an obstacle on her chosen path? Could she gather all the strength in her legs and then just propel herself? For once, she abhorred the way she was and wished she were more outgoing like Kairi, more able to talk about her feelings and clearly express her wants.

"Did I shock you?" he asked softly, wondering what had gone wrong when she'd simply gazed at the wall and spaced out. He didn't deny that he wished to reach out to her

Then, she saw it; behind him on the ground were a pile of magazines, all with him on the front and back. They all said 'Way to Dawn' on them in ornate lettering. He had been telling the truth. She pulled the covers up, over her mouth and began to speak. "Sorry… it's just, I'm an artist. I was awed by your beauty when I first saw you." Her voice became quieter and quieter as she spoke, shrinking to a miniscule noise that could have been mistaken for the ringing in a person's ears. The heat travelled from her heart to the rest of her body with each thump, without fail. She failed to look in his eyes, to frightened for what she might see.

He looked at her, no emotion present in his facial expression. "I see," he mumbled. She liked his appearance as an artist. That had to mean something to her. She seemed like a genuine girl, not one who would fool him into doing one thing, but doing another, a girl who was well acquainted with the art of deception, a girl who would flatter him in order to potentially trap his heart within her own. "You just like my appearance then?" he couldn't help but ask – it was quite the valid question.

"No, of course not!" she protested vehemently, shaking her head, affirming the negative. "I like the entire compilation of your being, how you portray yourself, your aloof personality… your beauty as well." She quieted as she heard what a fool of herself she was making. "I apologize… I… you're a model, so you've probably heard this all before." Naminé couldn't help but mope, to blush at her own silly notions of a perfect situation, one that seemed to be crumbling right before her very eyes. Her life wasn't some silly little fantasy.

"It's been said," Riku admitted honestly, watching as her frown increased in size, "but, never so honestly," he whispered. It was true, though – no one at all had ever found it necessary to compliment him, nobody: not his parents, not his friends… in some ways, her smile reminded him of Sora's. That must have been what possessed him to be so kind to her. The passion he saw in her eyes was real – she loved art. "Thank you," he said, smiling. "I appreciate that you think so about me." He took her phone which was on the bedside table, to her confusion. He tapped a few numbers into it and passed it to her. "For your own purposes, I suppose."

"What?" she mumbled aloud. When she saw her contact list, she noticed one said 'Riku'. Her cheeks flushed to a horrible degree. "You... you…"

"I gave you my number," he finished for her. "Just don't pass it out to random girls and I think we can come to an agreement, right?" He didn't know what possessed him to do it. Perhaps it was because of her genuine voice, her genuine words. "Just call me if you need anything, like if you happen to get drunk again and need someone to look out for you." He looked away from her then, almost a little shy himself. But, looking at her flabbergasted expression, he couldn't help but chuckle just a bit.

"Thank you, I won't misuse it!" Naminé exclaimed. She didn't know how she had somehow gotten the number of the most beautiful specimen she had ever seen in all her years, but she somehow did.

"Misuse? How?" Riku replied, confused. What a fascinating woman she was. She was, however, far too happy to answer him. Her smile was… endearing – it was genuine, like Sora's. "Sora…" he mumbled. If only he could talk to his dear friend once again.

* * *

"Nami, where were you!" Kairi spoke, panicked, once Naminé had entered the room. She held her shoulders firmly and narrowed her eyes. "There was some random guy who picked up the phone when I called your phone and said 'you'd be okay'. Who was that, Nami?"

It certainly was a strange occurrence. When Kairi, who was beyond frightened about her friend's safety, decided upon the ingenious plan of calling her cellphone, some person had picked up, someone with a voice as smooth as chocolate.

"_Hello?" the voice answered. Kairi listened in, confused. She took a quick glance at her phone, at the number, and ascertained it was in fact Naminé's number that she had called. It was. _

"_Uh, where's Namin_é – _why're you picking up her phone?" she asked, suspicious. She was exceptionally wary of this man who had picked up her phone. All of a sudden, a wave of guilt flooded within her – it was because of her that Namin_é _had disappeared and quite possibly had some alcohol. She had promised to keep an eye on her: how irresponsible was she?_

"_Your friend's fine, don't worry. I'll send her back up when she wakes up: she's asleep right now," he said calmly. He hung up the phone after this._

_Kairi looked at her phone blankly before it hit her. Naminé might not have been a virgin anymore! She might've given it to the strange, unknown man!_

"You're still a virgin, aren't you?" Kairi asked her seriously, looking her straight in the eye. "You didn't lose it to that random guy who picked up your phone, did you?"

Naminé resembled a beetroot after that. "No, no… he helped me after I fainted because of consuming too much alcohol." Kairi looked relieved. Naminé averted her eyes then, and twiddled her thumbs. Upon Kairi's probing look, she spoke again, softly. "It was Riku who helped me and picked up the phone…"

"Riku?" Kairi repeated. "Riku…" The name sounded awful familiar to her. When she thought about it more, a light bulb turned on. "Riku, as in that really beautiful guy?" She couldn't believe it. But, she was glad that Naminé got to spend time with a person who she really wanted to spend time with. Naminé nodded in affirmation. "Lucky, Nami! You know him now!"

Naminé looked at the floor again before pacing the room unsettlingly. "He gave me his number," she whispered unsurely.

"What, he did?" Kairi replied, shocked. But, looking at Naminé's blush, she supposed that was a good thing. She thought Naminé didn't like him in the romantic sense, but was definitely obsessed with his beauty. She knew because Naminé was an artist – she would want to draw him, sketch him, and in her words, preserve his beauty. Looking at her face, she was glad that Naminé had this chance to communicate with him. "Well, what're you waiting for then? Text him now, you need to communicate with him somehow!"

"What…?" Naminé murmured, before paling to the degree where she was as white as a sheet. She instead stuffed her phone in her pocket and then collapsed on her bed. Her face was buried in her pillow. Her voice was muffled. "I… I can't do it… now…"

Kairi sighed.

* * *

He sat on the ledges again, calmly lighting a cigarette then smoking it. In truth, he had no idea why he had picked up such a habit at all – besides the social perks, there was nothing else good, and because Riku was not a social person, there was nothing good at all. In fact, they were disgusting, but he couldn't simply stop.

Riku sighed and stared at his phone, expected something to pop up, but nothing did. He expected his notification ringtone to alert him to anything new, but there was nothing.

"Riku, you seem to be staring at your phone quite a bit. Why?" a voice exclaimed. Looking around, he knew it to be his friend. The male was tall, slightly muscular, and had a personality that was very similar to Riku's own, which may have been the reason he had befriended him.

"Terra," he greeted. The male in question gave him a small smile and proceeded to light his cigarette, looking up at the sky and the puffs of smoke which came out of the end. It was relaxing in a way, he supposed. "Nothing really… I don't even know why I'm waiting."

"You gave your number to someone didn't you? Hoping that they'll text you," Terra surmised, looking at him. Riku didn't answer, but his blank expression gave him away. It was strange how he'd only recently met Terra, yet he always seemed to be able to predict what he'd do or why he was reacting a certain way; he supposed it was because they were so similar. Terra had even had issues with his friend, a boy named Ventus. "I didn't think you to be the type," he said, "after all, you're the one who gets irritated when girls throw themselves at you. You kind of have to blame that on your job though."

"It's… she's different," he explained almost nonchalantly, putting his phone back into his pocket, coming to the conclusion that he might not get anything today. She was rather shy. "She didn't throw herself at me at all. In fact," he continued, "she said she was awed by my beauty, and the entire compilation of my being." He chuckled. "You can tell just by looking at her that she wanted to be an artist in some way, and then, viola, she tells me she's a Fine Arts and History major."

"Fine Arts and History, huh?" Terra mused, counting the lack of stars in the sky. It always happened that way when one was in the city; there was too much pollution to ever take note of the stars. A country kid like him would probably never get used to it. "Like Aqua then, for the fine arts bit. She seems nice if she's able to get you to react this way, Riku." Riku nodded in answer. "But you do know that Fine Arts students need to find a model for their classes, right? I'm Aqua's model. This girl might be considering you to be her model – would you do it? I personally think it's an honour…"

He thought about it – would he enjoy being her model, being in an intimate space with just her eyes on him, sketching his face, his body? He could imagine her sketching him with a determined frown upon her face, her blonde hair tied into a messy bun, and then when it was complete, she'd smile at him softly. "I don't think I would mind…" he answered Terra softly. When he looked at him with an eyebrow raised, he continued. "Only if she asks, though. I won't approach her about it – it's her job to."

"You might have to wait quite a bit then – she seems like the shy type," Terra stated, chuckling, taking another puff of his cigarette.

Just then, his notification ringtone went off, and Riku jolted, surprised. Both he and Terra were, actually. When Riku popped his cellphone out, his eyes widened. "What?" he mumbled. "Really…?"

"You really didn't have to wait long at all, did you?" Terra asked, clearly surprised himself. His eyes narrowed. "Ah, seems like her friend forced her to text you… she wouldn't have done it if not for her friend."

"Shut up, Terra," Riku retorted. He took a look at the note again and read it.

_It was nice meeting you today, Riku. I was… just a little reluctant to text you… just a little. My roommate coerced me into it. Thank you for helping me out though, when I was… drunk (I really don't like saying that word). I hope to see you again soon! _

_Naminé_

It made him smile. Terra looked at his smile and smirked. "So, she can even make ice block Riku smile where no other girl can, huh?"

"Again, Terra," Riku stated firmly, glowering, "be quiet."

"Alright, alright," Terra said, sighing. "I won't tease you anymore, Riku." Riku looked smug, while Terra just looked defeated.

* * *

"Kairi," Naminé whined, "why did you make me send it? He's going to think I'm weird now!" Naminé was currently sitting with her face in her pillow, completely and utterly mortified. Kairi had tricked her into writing a message for 'practice' about what she would actually say to the male. After typing it out with shaking fingers, Kairi had taken her phone from her, glanced over the message, and with a saccharine smile, sent it.

"He won't," she assured. "Besides, wouldn't it be weirder if you didn't thank him for helping you at all? He'd think you were ungrateful then, wouldn't he?" she stated knowingly. "Plus, you had to communicate with him sometime. If I'd left you to your own devices, you wouldn't have gotten anything done, Nami."

Despite how Naminé knew she was right, she hoped that Riku didn't think she was strange, and that hopefully sometime she would get to ask him to be her model, that he would agree, and she could preserve his beauty. But that might've been too much to hope.

"Plus," Kairi continued, chuckling, "he's already seen you faint from being drunk, so sending a text definitely won't give him weirdo vibes, Nam."

Naminé moaned, remembering how she'd acted, and how generous he'd been. She could only hope that the weirdo vibes wouldn't be sent to him through that text message.

* * *

_Words: 3 513_


	4. Please and Thank You

**Beauty**

_Written by Whimsical Symphony_

_After a very long wait, here is the next chapter. I got busy, then I lost inspiration, but here it is. Any comments are welcome._

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Please and Thank You**

Naminé flushed when she read the text she soon received from Riku, her hopefully future model over the course of the year, although she hadn't plucked up the courage to ask him (and quite possibly never would, despite Kairi's prompts). His message to her was completely genial, almost comforting, concerned for her well-being, and filled her heart with a warm heat, and sweet like honeyed tea, the scent and taste of home – completely different from the uncomfortable heat that a person got from heartburn. She wondered if perhaps she would see him again soon, and if they'd reached a level in their acquaintance where waving to one another would be plausible and predictable, one of the sweet comforts that conversing could bring. Naminé wanted to wave to Riku, to have him wave back with a sly smile. It was probably her fantasizing just a tad too much though.

_I really must thank your roommate then, for persuading you to talk to me – I would feel quite underappreciated had you not. It's no problem. If you ever need me for anything, don't hesitate to ask: I'll gladly help, without any qualms, complaining, or griping. I hope to see you again soon as well, Namin__é__, so I'm sure we will._

_Riku_

She inwardly thanked Kairi though. If not for her, Riku would have definitely felt underappreciated, and that was certainly a feeling that wasn't at all suitable for her future model. She felt her heart swell from his generosity, and if possible, wanted to use him in her art even more – the very thought made her take a walk through her mind, comprised of colours of all shades and degrees of vibrancy. How she wanted him to be a part of those colours….

"Hey, Nami, daydreaming again?" Kairi teased, entering the room with a smile on her face. Naminé flushed in reply, hiding her face in her hands. Looking over at the location of her cellphone, Kairi grinned slyly. "So, you got a reply, huh?"

Naminé nodded, flushing all the more. "He said he would like to see me again soon as well…"

"See, he's got taste! Only an idiot wouldn't notice how cute you are, Nami," Kairi said, nodding firmly. "Oh, there's also a movie night on our floor tonight – you might see him, you know?" She wondered about that, but teasing Naminé was far too fun to pass up. As expected she twiddled her thumbs and a small smile passed across her face, along with an enormous blush of course. "What, Nami, looking forward to it?"

"I'm… I'm not at all, Kairi!" she answered, nervously twirling her hair. Her heart pounded in her ears and all the blood in her body made a beeline for her cheeks.

"You are," Kairi said bluntly. "It's alright – with a gorgeous guy like that, I would feel scared if you weren't happy to see him! You don't see guys like that back where I'm from at all," she mused, thoughtfully tapping her chin. "I do wonder if I could even find someone comparable…"

Naminé sighed in relief, glad all the attention was off of her, though she did look at her phone more than just a few times, wondering if she should text him again. A small smile crossed her lips, subtly lighting up her whole face with the feeling of elation.

* * *

"Movie night, Riku, are you planning on going? I'm certain Terra is – you would feel more comfortable with him right? I'm going too…" a voice exclaimed. Riku didn't even have to turn his head to see who it was, after all, there was only one such person who had such a soothing tone in her voice that possibly had the potential to heal wounds, scrapes and bruises both mentally and physically, emotionally and skeletally, a voice as gentle and tranquil as the swishing and swashing sounds of the sea when night would hit the beach, when no other sound could be heard.

Riku let out a sigh, and stared up at the sky, slowly tracing the patterns ingrained on the wooden bench he sat on campus. With his other, he took a small puff of his cigarette and watched as the smoke escaped when he exhaled, dissipating into the air. "Maybe – it starts in an hour, right Aqua?"

"Mm… yeah," Aqua said quietly and settled on the bench beside him.

To Riku, the first time Terra had introduced him to Aqua, he felt as if he could tell her anything. She was beautiful, and exuded an aura that was almost motherly, so gentle, non-judgemental. He did tell her about his own past and cried upon her shoulder, all the while she simply cooed and stroked his hair. When he told Terra about it afterward, he simply described it as one of the talents that Aqua had, her innate personality, what she stood for. Riku found himself almost envious that someone like Terra had gotten so close to Aqua and they had fit together like a lock and a key. He knew it would be any day now when they would get together – Riku would be happy for them. Riku wondered if he would find someone like that; ever since _her_, he wasn't sure if he would. He wouldn't lie though – Naminé did give him a fluttery feeling in his heart.

"Is something the matter, Riku? I know when you're quiet like this, all's not well," stated Aqua, matter of fact. She brought her hand up and comfortingly squeezed his shoulder. He relaxed under her touch.

"I found out just a few hours ago that Yuna's gone back to the psychologist… she isn't getting any better. She's been getting autologous fat injections to bring her vocal cords closer together and to help restore her voice ever since the accident, but it might never be restored to the quality which it was at before. She sings… now she can't. Emotionally…. Yuna's wrecked…" Riku trailed off, stepping on his cigarette butt. He took another out of his pack and relit, feeling stressed, distraught, and a whole array of other emotions as well. "And Sora, he'll never forgive me for it." Although disheartening, stating the reality did help him deal with it a bit. The fact that he said his best friend would never forgive him out loud made the pain a bit more bearable.

"Have you ever considered visiting Yuna in the hospital?" Aqua asked him, curious. "Maybe she would feel better if you were there with her." She wondered if the girl would. Or would Riku simply be a reminder of her accident.

"I don't want to see her, Aqua. She reminds me of my own mistakes too. I know that I should toughen up and go see her, but her face after the doctor told her the news still haunts me… each and every day… and Sora, when he screamed at me…" Riku chuckled bitterly, "his expression was murderous. I deserved it more than anything – I wanted him to yell at me more, I wanted Yuna to scream at me too! But, you know," he looked at Aqua, biting his lip, making them bleed, "she would… just smile, nothing else, tell me it was okay, that it wasn't my fault even though her dreams were shattered because of me. She wouldn't tell me what a bastard I was, what an idiot, how I should have taken care of her better. She would smile – it hurt more, Aqua." He took out his cellphone and stared at the small crystal kitty charm on the end, dangling, looking far happier than he felt at the moment: her last gift to him, smiling, just like her.

"She's a good girl, Riku. She didn't want anyone she loved to be hurting inside – that's why she smiled, I think. It would hurt her as well to see you hurting…" Aqua mused, definitely hurting inside for the broken person that Riku had become. She looked over at him, simply staring at the charm, long past smoking. "I think you should go to the movie night tonight, have a good time, you know? Yuna would be happy to see you moving on, starting a new life. Of course it's always saddening at first to see those you love move on, but it means more that each party is happy. Yuna would feel the same."

"Mm… I guess you're right as always, Aqua." Riku gave her a small smile. He looked at the cellphone charm again. "You know, I always used to find the gifts Yuna gave me a little juvenile – really girly, but… now I kind of wish my relationship with her was in a position where receiving another with a bright smile from her was possible." He stood up then and stretched, releasing a sigh. "I suppose I'll get ready then. See you there, Aqua. Terra won't go if you don't."

Aqua sat on the bench after Riku had gone inside to get ready. She wondered if he'd ever get over that girl, Yuna, and his guilt for her current situation. She wondered if Riku could find happiness himself, or whether Sora and Yuna would hold him back from that. Would he get a girlfriend and settle down? She didn't know if it would be possible for him.

"I hope he can move on with his life and stop living in the past," she whispered to herself. "After all, he didn't escape from that incident unscathed." Thinking back to how his expression was when he talked to her about it, how distraught, how bitter it was, how frightfully hard it was to see, that Aqua even had to turn away from him to cope with her emotions was proof. It was proof of how broken he was this day, that how he was even able to be a model was incredible. "He's hurting too…"

* * *

Naminé sat on the couch gloomily as she noticed that most of the movie night arrivals were here (a fair abundance of people) and the male, Riku, was not. She didn't even know why she was getting so frustrated and saddened by it. She barely knew him – she had spoken to him truly all of but that one time. Speaking realistically, exiting her hopeful mind for just a moment, there was high chance it was just fleeting and that small chat didn't mean anything to the handsome male.

"Nami, don't get gloomy - even if not today, there's always next time, right? We still have ten minutes until the movie begins," Kairi consoled. She felt a bit bad for making Naminé get all hyped up about this if she was going to be disappointed in the end. She placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder as she pouted, looking every bit like a cute little bunny. Kairi honestly thought if that model could resist her when she was like this, all adorably saddened because of him, he was one hell of a guy. Hell, if Kairi was a boy she'd fall for Naminé. She slapped herself, realizing how strange that thought was.

"Why's Nami all depressed?" Yuffie asked, munching on chips she had obtained from the bowl on the table. She had taken the entire bowl for herself, making several onlookers a little peeved. Xion also looked at Naminé curiously, wanting to know what was up as well.

"That model isn't here, so she's a bit sad," Kairi answered her despite Naminé's own protests.

"It's alright Nami, he won't be able to resist your cuteness any longer. Turn that frown upside down, okay?" Selphie said with a grin, hugging Naminé's arm like a child would hug their teddy. Naminé, as expected, turned pink.

When she looked at Xion's face, she noticed it dropped in its happiness level just a tad, though a flush now covered the apples of her cheeks. She couldn't help but note to Naminé in her mind that she would have competition for that male's heart. Xion seemed to watch him too, just as Naminé often did, from the corner of her eyes, a simple glance here and there, though that simple action would cause her heart to fill with warmth. Kairi could see it in the girl's eyes – though, Xion would probably deny it. She would deny it because she hardly understood it herself. In that way, she was very similar to Naminé. That girl didn't understand either, that she was admiring this boy for a far stronger reason than just finding him pretty. She could see Olette put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, almost as if she understood, and pass her some popcorn like a concerned sibling.

Just as she finished though, people had walked through the doorway, one of them Naminé's model – Riku. Another was a pleasant looking girl, and the last who she walked alongside was a tall, dark haired male. They were two friends of this model.

When Kairi looked to Naminé to see her reaction, she could visibly see her perk up upon his entrance, but quickly avert her eyes. Though, she wasn't the only one. Many other girls in the room had fallen to silence upon his arrival. He was a popular man, indefinitely. He, however, looked at her and gave her a kind, comforting smile, as if to alleviate some of her stress and walked toward the group.

"Hello, Naminé," he greeted, taking a seat in between her and Kairi. "How are you doing?"

Inside, Kairi grinned because she knew if not for her, Naminé would have fretted over sending him a text. But look where it brought their relationship to! They were talking like old friends! Kairi felt like sticking her tongue out at all the other females in the room that now looked just a little gloomy that he was already chatting with someone.

"Ah, so this is Naminé, huh?" the dark haired boy said, a sly grin set upon his lips. Riku gave him a sharp look, while the female chuckled. Naminé looked at them, a little confused.

"These are my friends, Aqua," he gestured to the girl, "and Terra," he then looked pointedly at the boy. "They've been… pretty good to me. They mean a lot," Riku said, an almost bitter smile marring his features. It seemed like he had something dark about him, a past he didn't want to share.

Being introduced to Riku's friends seemed like the highest honour to Naminé, especially ones as important as these two. Immediately an uncomfortable heat travelled through her veins, making her feel as if she wanted the ground to swallow her up, if only to escape from the glances from the two new people. "It's nice to meet you," she squeaked, all but standing tall and strong like she should have.

"How cute is she, Riku?" the girl named Aqua stated, fawning over the blonde girl.

Upon Naminé's slightly bewildered look, Riku explained. "Aqua is a bit of a mother hen – you'll get used to it."

"Yup, she never stops, but that's why we love her so much," Terra explained, chuckling. "All her nagging reminds us of home."

"Riku, Terra!" Aqua exclaimed, offended. At her glare, the two seemed to stop laughing, instead sporting sheepish grins. A fearsome woman, this Aqua seemed to be.

"If she's a mother hen, she'll get along swimmingly with Olette," Selphie told him, chuckling at Olette's frown. Yuffie nodded in agreement, also gaining quite a bit of amusement from Olette's facial expression.

"That's not true! I'm just a concerned friend," Olette defended, crossing her arms, "who… spends much of her time tutoring math delinquents." She said this fondly though, and then Naminé knew for certain she was thinking of her two friends that she decided not to cry over, due to Riku's advice. The two friends she would be proactive about and fix the problems with herself, without anyone else initiating it first.

"Oh, I'm pretty rude, aren't I? I never introduced myself to your friends." Riku stuck his hand out to Kairi first, who shook it firmly. It was the handshake of a country bumpkin who had been doing manual labour since when she was a fetus, she would say happily. "I'm Riku, nice to meet you."

"I'm Kairi," Naminé's red-headed friend greeted with a smile. "It's good to meet you."

Much to Naminé's embarrassment, the girl gave her a sly grin and a wink, alluding to all the conversations they had had about Riku in the privacy of their room. Naminé was lucky that he hadn't heard any of it, now that she thought about it. The sound could have travelled really well for all she knew and reached the person whose room was beneath hers. She flushed just thinking about it. Mortification was too mild a term to describe her current state.

Riku introduced himself to her friends, and so did Terra and Aqua. He soon learned that the chatty, hyper ones were Selphie and Yuffie, the smiley roommate of Naminé was Kairi, and the one who reminded Riku so very much of Naminé, but even quieter was Xion. It almost was like she seemed to be living in someone else's shadow with the way she seemed to want to bury herself into the ground. He stuck out a hand for her to take and encouraged her with a kind smile to take it, that he wouldn't bite like some mean, ferocious beast.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Riku," he introduced. He supposed it had to do with the fact that everyone besides Naminé was in conversation and the movie had already started, a shocking bloody, gory movie which ensured that Xion didn't look at the screen. That was what made her shyly look up at him, blush, and take her hand in his with a soft smile. Even then though, it seemed different than when he had carried Naminé that day when she had gotten drunk. It made him smile, certainly being with Xion – she was _nice_, but it wasn't the _same_. He supposed they were both cute in their own way, Naminé a little white bunny, and Xion a flustered grey mouse. But being so similar, he expected to feel the same way. Especially since he now discovered he had a soft spot for shy girls.

Paying attention to the movie, he noted that the premise was something about a girl who saw spirits in her own home who murdered those she cared about in disgusting ways. The cheesy special effects made Riku chuckle though, since the blood looked too viscous and far too much like ketchup, and how the people seemingly looked like mannequins seen on a regular trip to the mall once they died and their corpses hit the ground. Terra and Yuffie were laughing together as well, Selphie looked a little bored and opted to do her nails instead, but the some seemed to be frightened. He could see boys looking happy as girls cuddled up to them to shelter their vision from the blood. Riku wondered dryly if he could be compared to them when Naminé buried her face in his sweater sleeve. Especially because he thought she was more than cute.

* * *

The movie was long, three hours full of terrifying gore that made Naminé want to gauge her eyes out, figuratively of course. Everyone left the room in varying degrees of shock. Kairi had left to the washroom with an excuse that she 'had to do the number two', which made nearly everyone surprised at the bluntness and openness that country folk could exhibit. It was ironic, because Naminé knew she'd actually gone to dry heave, truly feeling nauseous. She could have simply said that instead of alerting everyone to fake bowel movements which she happened to think was less gross.

Yuffie and Terra had fared well, bidding them all farewell, making their way to their respective rooms. Selphie had as well, considering she was bored as a bat. Looking quite proud, she showed Naminé new knew nail patterns which were a rather nice shade of light, soft pink. She took the strangely reluctant Xion with her and Olette who seemed to be in one of her 'mother hen' moods, though she didn't know about what. Xion looked a little dejected. More subtle instead of the loud colours which she usually wore. Naminé was in awe and Selphie promised to do them for her next time before heading off to her room. Aqua had left, giving Naminé a hug and Riku a kiss on the cheek, following Terra out the door like they were an inseparable unit.

Soon it was just Naminé and Riku, with the former holding onto Riku's sleeve still. Riku chuckled and patted her head amicably. "There, there – don't worry, nothing's going to eat you."

Just now realizing she was holding onto his sleeve for just short of three hours because of her own fear, she dropped it like a hot coal and smothered her face with a couch cushion out of embarrassment. "Sorry…" she mumbled, though it came out significantly muffled, more like 'sowwy' actually.

"It's fine, I didn't care, really," Riku assured her, gently tugging the pillow out of her grasp. Giving her a smile that could put the amount of sugar in commercial chocolate to shame, he grasped her hand and helped her rise from the couch which now had a Naminé shaped imprint in it.

It was probably that smile which gave her the courage to finally ask him after so long, so she could finally get started on her art projects. It was probably the fact that he seemed so understanding, like he wouldn't brush her away, which eased her worries that he would simply laugh in her face as so many before him had done. Throwing away all restraints for a moment, she asked him, though it was quieter than she would have liked it to be.

"Can you be my model for the year?" It came out like a mousy squeak, but she had managed to say it.

"Pardon, didn't hear that," Riku exclaimed, leaning forward to hear her better.

Feeling even more nervous and closing her eyes this time, she was a little louder. "Can you be my model for the year?"

"Still no," Riku said giving her a frown. "Just a little louder?"

And with that, every last restraint was blown open. _Every single one_. "Be my model!" she said loudly, and with his smirk and her realization of what she said, she squeaked out, "Please…" in order to not make herself seem unbearably rude.

"Okay," he said with a smile. "Just text me the details whenever you want to meet up, whether it be for your art or just to hang out."

Giving her a hug which made her as red as a tomato and feel as hot as a sick person with a fever, he was soon out the door after giving her a small wave and a charming quirk of his lips, a very alluring smile. It was then Naminé realized he had heard her all along and was just playing with her in order to encourage that yelling. She sighed good-naturedly when she realized she couldn't be angry with him and felt beyond happy, like she was on cloud nine, that she got him, the godly model, to model for a no name artist like her. Naminé suddenly felt like the most special girl in the world.

* * *

_Words: 3 888_


	5. Butterflies

**Beauty**

_Written by Whimsical Symphony_

_After quite a while, it is here. My computer crashed and I lost the 1500 words I originally typed up, so then I lost the will to type up the entire chapter plus about 1500 more from scratch, however I eventually got to it. Any comments are appreciated._

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Butterflies**

Her hand shook with nervousness as she grasped her pencil. Her lines were all wobbly, not right at all. He stared at her, frozen, not actively doing anything to encourage her nervousness, yet it bubbled up within her all the same. She erased as she tried again to recreate the perfection in his face, all the angles, all the structure, until two hours later, she finished.

He felt nervous just the same as the small girl in front of him, but could not show it. Her eyes on him sent his heart racing a mile a minute and for a pleasant heat to pool within the pit of his stomach. Her hair tied in a messy blonde bun, just the way he'd imagined it, and her lips tight, her tongue sticking out slightly as she concentrated on his face and figure, just made him more conscious. Did his form meet her standards? Was she regretting now making him her model? Irrational worries flitted through his mind like birds in a hurry, journeying to the south to migrate.

"Finished!" Naminé exclaimed, a bright smile on her face, happy that she managed to get it done. Riku smiled because of her smile. It reminded him a little of Yuna, that bright, innocent smile.

Yuna always made him smile with just that smile of hers. "Look Riku, I got this for you," she would say softly, handing him a small keychain, the one with the kitty on it. It smiled back at him dumbly whenever he held it, and for some reason, it reminded him of that stupid smile Yuna akways wore on her face, no matter how bad the situation – she had the strength that not many other people did. He cherished that kitten to this day because it had the very strength he did not. Her face when the doctor told her she would, high chance, never be able to sing again – it was the first time he ever saw her look like that, like someone had rammed a stake through her heart. Not even crying. He didn't want to think about it.

Riku got up from his stool near the window in the studio and peered over her shoulder. "The lines are really well done. It looks like me." He believed it was a stupid comment, thinking back on it, but he understood nothing about art, so Naminé's world fascinated him.

She tensed up before placing her head in her curled up knees and blushing furiously. "Why do you sneak up behind me?"

He hugged her from behind, grinning mischievously, "Because your reaction is amusing." He couldn't help but think how nice embracing her felt, as if she would make all his sins evaporate and help him be born anew, straight from the flames like a phoenix. Her body was warm and small, fitting in his right where they should. She passed her warmth to him and he couldn't help but relax like that before he realized what he was doing and uncharacteristically flushing, pulled away, the red on his face getting deeper at her confused look and her adorable gesture of cocking her head. He wondered when he had gotten so clumsy with girls.

It had been a rather successful first session though, even if she was as red as a beetroot (and he, even though she didn't notice). She turned to him and gave him a withering smile before saying quietly, "Thank you for being my model. Lots of other people must have asked you to, and you had to settle with me." Just thinking about it made her head burst with doubt. Were there people more suitable to be his artist than her? The probability was yes. Were there people who could portray his beauty better in artwork? There was a high chance this was true.

"Some, but I didn't want to be their model in any case. I wanted to be yours," he said simply. She wondered if he told the truth, he knew he did. She found herself both unbearably embarrassed and honoured at the same time. Naminé smiled secretly, feeling butterflies flutter in her stomach.

He only really affirmed that statement when she asked. Could anyone make him feel as comfortable as her? Her smile resembled Yuna's so much it actually hurt. Then it occurred to him that he spoke the truth, he would rather have no one else as the person drawing him than her. That bright smile on her face as she spoke about him, that blush on her face when she thought she did something wrong, everything made him look with a new sort of concentration as well, made him learn something else about her world, understand beauty in a new form as he found her beautiful.

"I really do have a soft spot for shy girls," he affirmed dryly, wondering just how far it went. He wondered if Yuna would hate him knowing he got unknowingly close to another girl, then shook the thought away as useless. He looked at her with a wide smile. "Call me again when you need me to model…" he paused for a moment and decided to add something else, "Actually, just call me anytime, if you want to talk or you want to get icecream or something. We're friends, aren't we?" He wondered how she would answer. He hoped he could get the opportunity to know her better.

Naminé could feel herself heat up and desperately wanted to go hide in a hole somewhere away from his earnest gaze, those beautiful jade like eyes which she noticed about him almost immediately, like gemstones. Suddenly, she felt creepy for admiring his form in the way she was, his lean body, perfect for drawing, his sinewy muscles… she flushed further, sinking into her seat, wondering just how terrible she could get. She looked at her art longingly, wondering if she could examine him once more to make his picture even more beautiful. Realizing he asked her a question, she snapped back to reality, palms sweating, trembling.

"Are you okay?" he asked, slightly panicked, placing hands on her shoulder.

"Friends?" she squeaked. "I'm your friend?" The very thought seemed outrageous to her, someone like him, her model, now her friend? He seemed so aloof when she had first seen him, now so warm. She wondered why he chose to be kind to her so friendly, this beautiful creature in front of her. Not only was he kind and friendly, he also decided to help her (potentially get a higher grade in Art because they would be amazed with his beauty, if of course she could accurately depict it).

"Of course," Riku replied without batting a lash, giving her the most sincere look she ever saw. "I thought we already were, to be honest."

Naminé formed a friendship with him without knowing she did? The very thought baffled her. She collapsed in a dead faint, falling off her chair, directly into Riku's arms, which he tightened around her, frightened.

"Naminé? What's wrong?" he asked, getting the shock of his life from her fainting. He brushed the blonde bangs away from her face, admiring her skin, the roses blooming on the apples of her cheeks, her bone structure, her long eyelashes, similar to a doll's. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that you're really pretty too?" he murmured, wondering what about his beauty fascinated him so when she looked so beautiful.

* * *

Kairi volunteered in the cafeteria that day, helping the servers both move things and also with cooking. A country bumpkin like her was good at manual labour, and she didn't need anyone to tell her otherwise. If Kairi held confidence in any one thing about her, it would be her strength: second would come her cooking. Her generational potato soup recipe became quite a hit among students and she got compliments from people she otherwise never even talked to. There was one particular occurrence that she remembered quite vividly.

A cute, brunette male sat with two girls Kairi recognized as Tifa and Aeris, popular members of their residence a few floors down. They were upper years who lived on residence an extra year. She ran into them in the hallway the other day, dropping all her books. Tifa helped her up and even exchanged phone numbers with her, Aeris did too, all with a smile and hope that they'd spend time again together in the near future. Kairi wondered why they chose to speak to her. She eyed Tifa's chest enviously as she looked upon her own flat one – now only if she were well-endowed like the woman. Both were also friends of the gorgeous kendo captain she happened to see around, Cloud Strife. He was so talented he got the spot, even though he was only in second year.

Suddenly, the male stood up and slammed his palms on the table, letting the cups and plates clatter on the table. Aeris and Tifa sighed as if they'd seen it all before. He looked at Kairi with a frightening glint in his eye. Kairi held her soup ladle in her hand precariously, as if it were about to drop any second. He ran toward Kairi and placed two hands on her shoulders, shaking her. Kairi almost pissed her own pants.

"How did you make this soup recipe?" he stated in awe. "I came here with my two friends but they said that the food here was crappy!"

One look at his clear skin and she looked at him with new found distaste. It was clearer than hers, for goodness sake. But then rethinking it, the points on his attractive scale far outdid the points he racked up on her envy scale. It was good an attractive boy talked to her, so she sucked it up and gave him a small smile.

"I'm a country bumpkin, so I'm good at manual labour!" she exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air with pride. "And that is my generational soup recipe," she started, "which is a secret," she said upon his eager look, "passed down since ancient times." When done, she had a grin about the size of the Blitzball stadium on her face, brimming with pride for her own family. She did tend to get carried away. She shook her head, a little embarrassed "But the food is crappy most days – they can't even cook rice right! It's crunchy!" she whispered in his ear as if the very thought were a crime.

"Crunchy _rice_?" he repeated, his eyes widening considerably. "How can rice be crunchy?" he all but yelled, filled with confusion and wonder.

"You can't even cook rice properly, so I wouldn't talk, Sora," Tifa said as she punched the boy, Sora, on his head. He rubbed the spot and winced. Tifa looked at Kairi with a pretty smile (which Kairi all but hated because it looked cuter than her own). Seeing her smile though, Kairi couldn't hate her. She was tough, cool and Kairi admired her. "Sorry for our friend. He doesn't live in this residence, but apparently wanted to come here for some reason," she explained. Sora's eyes visibly saddened and Kairi wondered why. "But this is some pretty good soup! Way better than what we usually get."

Kairi looked at Sora, who still seemed to be slightly in pain, emotionally as well, she could see when Tifa explained that he wanted to come. Aeris walked toward the group and politely reprimanded Tifa (while Kairi was jealous about how cute and feminine she looked). She couldn't hate this one either because she was cute and kind like a princess in an old fairy tale. "Now, now, I am sure Sora can cook rice just fine. Cloud can, and he can barely do anything besides Kendo."

"That's true," Tifa mused, putting a hand on her hip. She looked at Sora, "But, I'm not going to believe you until you cook some rice."

"I can do it. Cloud burns soup in the microwave, I think I can do this pretty well," he explained.

"Cloud… as in, Kendo captain Cloud?" Kairi asked, unsure. The three nodded and looked as her as if she knew any other Cloud. They talked about him in front of her, gorgeous captain Cloud whose attractiveness even rivaled that model that Nami had her sights set on. Her eyes sparkled with barely contained glee before she grasped Tifa's and Aeris' hands in her own. She let go of Aeris' before connecting hands with Sora to show he was also involved. "Can you introduce me?"

That almost manic glint in her eyes made Tifa wonder why she wanted to meet her childhood friend so badly. With a small sigh and a smile though, she decided to. Cloud did need some company after all, or else he would continue to be a lone wolf. "Alright."

* * *

When Naminé awoke, she did so not in her own bed. For some reason, the situation felt familiar to her, as if she had been in the same bed. The pillows had the same degree of softness she remembered and the plus mattress held her form like a loving embrace. Opening her eyes slowly and rising to a sitting position slowly, she met with the view of Riku sitting on a chair near her bed, flipping through a fiction novel, something unbearably complex it seemed like. His posture and his concentrated look upon the text made Naminé wish to pick up a stick of charcoal and sketch him once more. Upon hearing the creaks in the bed as she moved, he looked up and smiled softly, concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "This is the second time you've landed yourself here in my room…" he observed, almost teasingly. He didn't mind that she ended up in his room when she fell ill – it made him happy he could do something for her.

Second time… second time she burdened him. "Sorry!" she squeaked as she dove under the covers like a small animal seeking shelter. With the very thought that she burdened him with her silly little problems, that she fainted for such a silly reason causes water to collect in her eyes, sticking to her eyelashes, clear gems against the fine hairs.

When he saw her cry, his own eyes widened. Riku quickly rose and approached her bedside, kneeling beside it before raising a hand slowly and wiping away tears that fell from her eyes. "Why are you crying?" he asked worriedly, wondering if it was something he said. She continued to remain silent as if she couldn't talk to him even if she wanted to. Riku thought back on what he knew of Naminé and what she would be thinking and realized that teasing her was a bad idea. Naminé would automatically assume herself to be intruding, that she had committed some major sin. Riku wondered if she even knew what friendship was, in order to feel so insecure about such a small thing. "I don't mind, you know. I don't mind if you come here," he reassured softly, stroking her hair so comfortingly that it almost lulled her into another long sleep. "We're friends. I at least can do this much for you."

Friends - it was that word again that he claimed the two of them were. She couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

"Why?" Riku repeated, continuing to caress her hair, then her cheek as he could tell she struggled to keep her eyes open. It was pretty adorable how something so small could put her to sleep. "Because you made me closer to you unintentionally by this arrangement of ours, because we get along, because I love to tease you, because I know how understanding you are… your sympathy has no bounds." He continued to list off just why he wanted her as a friend, and found that there were too many reasons to count, too many reasons why he felt so safe and secure with her, too many reasons why he felt like seeing that rosy hue on her cheeks once more. There were too many reasons why he felt like he wanted to protect her, a small guilty feeling in his head told him one reason may have been because he felt like he could protect her where he failed with Yuna. But then, seeing her small but shy smile at his words, he threw that aside.

Naminé was Naminé, not Yuna, not anyone else. He had a soft spot for Naminé because she was Naminé, not because she acted a bit like Yuna.

With a daring move he held her face in one hand on one cheek, then leant down and pressed his lips against the other. He felt her skin beneath his lips, he could feel it heat up considerably at his contact. It added a pleasant warmth to his own lips, like drinking a cup of tea could warm the entre body. He moved away, chuckling slightly at her reaction, He supposed she would be surprised, considering how innocent she was, even if it was on the cheek. Her blush though, the way she put her hand up to hold her cheek as if she'd gotten a mosquito bite in the same spot, while looking shocked, her eyes wide, her lips slightly parted made him just a little happy. But it was amusing as well, to react so much over a little kiss of friendship.

"W-what was that for?" she asked, almost certain that if she didn't calm herself just then, she would faint yet again in Riku's room. She burdened him enough, yet kept doing more and more. He kissed her though. Kiss, as in, his lips touching her skin. It was not on the lips, but nonetheless, for him to kiss her caused shock to travel through her veins and arteries like juice through a straw.

"It was just a friendship kiss, on the cheek. It's not like I kissed you on the lips," Riku answered, amused as her pout. "Unless," he leant toward her, his nose mere inches from her own, "you want me too." When looking at her flabbergasted look, her jaw nearly unhinged, he exploded into laugher. He never laughed that hard since before he dated Yuna.

Naminé looked at his gleeful expression, an expression of sincere enjoyment, an expression she never saw before on his sculpture-like features. Looking at it, concentrated, she made sure to remember every aspect about it, how his lips stretched, how his eyes were half-lidded when he finished, a blush on the apples of his cheeks.

"Beautiful," Naminé whispered, entranced by the man in front of her. Her fingers were itching to grab hold of a pencil, pen, anything.

He heard her and wondered yet again why she found him so beautiful, why Naminé found that she wanted to draw him. He remembered her laying in his arms after fainting, the picturesque form of sleeping beauty. Riku wondered why no one noticed what he saw. He wondered if he was bias, considering she created this strangely pleasing flutter in his stomach every time she smiled or blushed. He wondered if he was bias because of his soft spot for shy girls.

"Beautiful?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow wondering if she did say what he thought she did. She twiddled her thumbs, looking at the bed sheets, but not at him, anywhere but at him. He smiled at her reaction and twirled her hair in his fingers, noting just how soft it was – coarse hair wouldn't suit her of course. He gave her a small, shy smile of his own and said quietly, "I think you're more beautiful." It caused Naminé to resemble a firetruck and lose the ability to look at him in the eye. She really was like a small animal, he thought, cute and vulnerable, made him want to protect her.

When they looked at each other, a soft smile on each of their faces, trapped in their own world, the door suddenly opened, snapping them both back to reality.

When Naminé looked to the doorway, she saw a man who looked remarkably like Riku except older. He had that same almost ethereal beauty that Riku had, his hair long and silver, his body lean, along with those same cat-like jade eyes. His face looked sculpted. H**e** held a pile of files in his arms and kept them under his arm. He moved with grace toward Riku without the slightest hint of emotion in his eyes, or his lips which were drawn into a thin line.

"Riku, I wish you to complete these files for me next. They are the room inspection forms, all you need to do is ensure everyone on this floor has handed one in," the man stated, his voice as smooth as silk. He turned his gaze toward Naminé who visibly shrank, finding him just a little intimidating, even if he seemed perfectly cordial. "Little brother, I can't believe you didn't introduce me to your girlfriend."

"Sephiroth," Riku groaned, "we're not dating." Even if he was mildly attracted to her.

"Is that so," Sephiroth replied.

Naminé fainted yet again from the shock of meeting Riku's equally beautiful brother and being referred to as Riku's girlfriend.

"Naminé!" Riku exclaimed, wondering what caused her to faint yet again. Sephiroth simply stood beside Riku, amused at his brother's choice in friends, yet proud that he felt happy all the same.

* * *

_Words: 3 572_


	6. Anchors

**Beauty**

_Written by Whimsical Symphony_

_After a terribly long time, I finally got around to writing this. I'm not sure about what kind of issues this has, but I know something's missing. But, I hope that's not the case and that Riku's emotion comes through to you. I tried to make the angst more bearable with some nice character interaction. I hope it balanced out correctly. Any thoughts and criticism is welcomed. I always love to hear what you all think._

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Anchors**

Riku ensured Naminé was safely tucked in under the sheets, piling them around her in a protective cuccoon. He wondered why she fainted again, and his thoughts promptly jet towards Sephiroth. The man could be hopelessly intimidating, even scaring professors and teachers at times. He took over the role of Don for their floor, since he was older and showed nothing but perfection in terms of leadership and academics, even serving as the captain of the Fencing Club. The two were similar as siblings, Sephiroth modeled as well though he was arguably more popular. He was influential everywhere. Riku even admitted that his single room came due to connections of having Sephiroth as his brother.

"So, you aren't dating her, dear brother?" Sephiroth asked curiously, glancing at the woman who fainted so randomly on top of Riku's bed. His thoughts wandered to the thought of how cozy the two seemed before he walked in, smiles on their faces, his brother's almost infatuated look when he curled her hair. He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not," Riku retorted, a little annoyed. He glanced back at Naminé who looked every bit a cute and adorable bunny under the sheets. He smiled a little. Sephiroth smirked a little and he saw it. Riku frowned and said, "What?"

"Nothing at all." Sephiroth's face looked every bit as blank as it did when he came in. He passed the bundle of files to Riku, who accepted them. "I need these completed within the week, Riku." Riku nodded, and Sephiroth continued, "Hmm, I am wondering whether I should get to know your… _friend_." He settled with this, though he knew for certain that the look his little brother carried for this girl, was at least partly formed due to attraction. He felt a little content, knowing he was moving on after Yuna. The girl was sweet, good for Riku and Sephiroth was fond of her because of her very nature - but Riku couldn't stay attached to a mere memory, knowing how damaged their relationship had become. Sephiroth wouldn't let Riku fade into that same memory, to become a broken man he already resembled. He took a glance at Naminé and wondered whether she would stay by him.

"If you want," Riku answered, ignoring Sephiroth's purposeful emphasis on the word 'friend'. "I think I can trust you not to do anything wrong." It was said as a warning, but also just in jest. "Such as, making her faint again." Riku gave his brother a small smile and then sat down, opening the files he'd given him.

"Of course," Sephiroth replied easily. "I did not mean to scare her into fainting – it was not my intention." He took one glance at Naminé, then Riku, and proceeded to exit, his long hair billowing out behind him all to dramatically for his a university student, but Sephiroth did belong in a class of his own. "Goodbye then, Riku. Please give me those files when you are done. I trust you to give in nothing but perfection."

Riku nodded in acknowledgement before skimming down a list of names he had to keep track of for room inspection forms. His eyes widened when they landed on one name. The pen in his hand hit the floor with a distinct clatter and his hands trembled with a concoction of strangely mixed emotions, all dark, all fearful, all apprehensive.

_Sora_

* * *

Naminé woke up a while later, a slightly headache pounding in her skull. Sitting up, she noticed the bed sheets, and with less shock than she thought possible, she realized she'd fallen asleep again in Riku's bed. She noticed lightly that it was becoming a bit of a habit for her to not wake up where she should be. And with mortification, she realized she must have been bothering him and burdening him in some way. Her cheeks burned when she looked at Riku, working hard at his desk, holding his pencil with such grace that she felt overwhelmed that the man had become her model.

He noticed the bed creaking and turned toward her, a slight smile on his face. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty - had a good rest?"

She blushed, as expected, and he couldn't help but chuckle – knowing that he'd gained some kind of guts to be able to tease her the way he did. "I'm… not… especially compared to you…" she trailed off, looking at the blankets, firmly shutting her lips.

"But you are," he answered her with a grin. She shook her head, denying it vehemently. He sighed, letting it go for now, but he only hoped he could raise her self-confidence a bit. Someone like her… deserved more compliments. "That person you saw, before you fainted – he's my older brother. His name's Sephiroth. You've probably seen him on a lot of magazines. He models for _Way to Dawn_, but also a variety of other places. He's pretty well known. I think he's… a better model than I am." He admitted the truth – his brother was perfect, better in many other areas that he failed in. Yet, he mustered up all his envy for him and could never hate him, never. His brother tried so hard for the both of them, always.

"He's beautiful," Naminé agreed, and Riku's mood fell a little (not that it wasn't already at an all-time low) before she continued, "but I think you're the one who…" She blushed. "You're the one who I want as my model. You're the best I could have asked for – you're just as beautiful as he is… and you have this… this charisma, you know? It draws people in… it d-drew me i-in," she hesitantly admitted, before burying her face in the sheets.

He didn't know how to react, though being slightly flustered was a slightly reaction of his body that he couldn't help. For Naminé to speak so freely and honestly about him, for her to want him as her model over his brother, he felt happy. There were a few who asked him to be their model, even though his heart had been set, somewhat reluctantly, on Naminé from the beginning. They always told him they'd be happy with either him or his brother. Naminé told him she'd only be happy with him. "Thank you," he replied, the softest smile he could muster on his lips.

She nodded, though the covers were pulled until her nose. She noticed then how weary he looked, how sad though she didn't know why. "W-what's wrong?" she squeaked, not knowing if she was encroaching upon any boundaries by asking. "Are you… okay? You look sad…"

Riku knew he was surprised – many people couldn't read his emotions. There were few who could – Aqua, Terra, Sephiroth… Sora and Yuna – that was it. "I… I'm going to see someone I'm not prepared to be seeing. He's going to be living here…"

"Is that the mistake you wanted to fix? You told us in the cafeteria a while ago," Naminé whispered, looking at him with concern.

"You really listen don't you?" Riku smiled wryly. "It's him – he was my ex-girlfriend's brother. Sora's his name – the happiest, most loyal, and stupidly optimistic guy I ever had the pleasure of meeting." He chuckled almost bitterly. "I made a terrible mistake. I was stupid. He'll never forgive me and he'll always hate me." He placed his head in his hands, looking so melancholic, so nostalgic, as if all his memories, his feelings, and everything about him had been painted in blacks and blues of the darkest shades, no brightness, no light. "He was my best friend. No one could understand me better than he could."

Naminé didn't know exactly what to say, because every time the words tried to come out, she didn't know if she would be imposing at all, if she would make him feel worse with her words. And she wanted Riku to smile that beautiful smile that made her want to pick up her drawing utensils and draw – draw as if she'd never drawn before, concentrated and focused through the complete silence which engulfed their designated artistic space and filled it with a strangely comforting solitude.

Then, she remembered how her brother, a stupidly optimistic, friendly guy, acted when fighting with his best friend. Her brother, he dated a girl named Aeris. They were close friends but nothing came out of their dating, and she eventually fell for his best friend Cloud Strife, but never pursued it. Zack didn't like Cloud for a long time, even said he hated him; he never did. Naminé still remembered the days where he'd stare at the old photos they took together. He couldn't hold out for long and said he forgave him – for what, Cloud didn't know, he'd only known that Zack had been avoiding him and was painfully oblivious of Aeris' feelings for him. She let those thoughts slip aside, directing her attention toward the distraught male. She wondered if

"He might not hate you," Naminé suggested, pulling herself out from under the sheets and walking toward Riku. "He might just be acting that way. He never said it. Maybe he's just here to talk." Her voice became quieter, less firm and more reminiscent. "Anger always exists when something happens, always. Fighting brings it. But between two close friends, and if nothing purposeful happened, if it was a mistake… rarely does resentment ever brew. Maybe… you'll never know if you don't talk to him." She kneeled down and looked up at Riku's, who sat in the chair, face. "You told us that you have to do whatever – but don't cry. I… never really agreed. Crying shows you feel, right?" She gave him a small smile and flushed, thoroughly amazed with herself that she was able to say so much, do so much, no matter how much she trembled now from the pure nerves of it all.

"Crying? Of course not." He gave her a weary smile. "My tears have all dried up. The tears caused me to die, now I can't cry any longer. Then, I feel worse…" What coerced him into telling her about what happened, even vaguely. Besides Aqua these days, he hardly told anyone anything.

"Y-you're not b-broken!" Naminé tried to say firmly, though it came out as a weak stutter. "You can still cry – I know you can."

Perhaps it was eyes, the way they looked at him, perhaps it was the way she furrowed her brow and suggested she was appalled that he'd even thought such a thing. But then again, it could have been the encouraging feeling radiating off her in waves, telling him he wasn't broken, that he was fine, that he'd done nothing wrong even though she didn't know the half of it. Maybe it was his own feelings at the time, overflowing, erupting like a volcano – magma spewing out relentlessly. Maybe he wanted someone to say he was okay, that there was nothing wrong with him, that he was _fine_ and life would take its course. He could only do the best he could and he would only have the power to change whatever needed changing; everything else would be necessary and everything bad would be okay.

For whatever combination of reasons, so confused and spellbinding, so mixed, so strange, he slid off the chair, and now sat on the ground, her level and he pulled her toward him in a tight embrace. He could feel her temperature rise and her heartbeat pick up like the sharp _tick tock_ of a clock. He could feel her stiffen, her spine erect as she struggled over what to do with her arms, to hug him back or to stay at her sides. She felt the spill of his tears upon her neck. "Just… a little while. Just until I gather myself and know what to do. Please, Naminé."

She flushed, her face and neck so red she could have set things on fire with just a touch. "R-riku?" He only responded by holding her tighter. Naminé wouldn't be surprised if she fainted any moment now from shock and disbelief. But, she moved her arms slowly and wrapped them around him, feeling the cool tears spill on her skin. Riku wasn't broken – she smiled just a little then, when he wouldn't be able to see her. "You're not broken…" she whispered.

The moment of silence continued, beautiful _uninterrupted_-

"Riku, aren't you moving a bit too fast?"

Startled, Naminé squirmed out of Riku's grip and scurried away to the corner of the room. The voice came from Terra who smirked at Riku, looking every bit as teasing as mischievous as he sounded.

Riku sighed, wiping his tears away subtly and forcing his voice not to quaver. "Terra: what are you doing here?"

He was silent for a moment, apparently noticing Riku's tears though he didn't say anything about it. He gestured toward the door with his thumb. "I knocked about ten times, but you and Naminé didn't answer. I realized then the door was open, so I came in. After all, I thought that the worst sight I'd be met with was you in your boxers – which wouldn't phase me since we're both men," he said bluntly. "Imagine my surprise when I see you cozying it up with Naminé." He gave Riku a devilish grin. "Really – I knew you were modeling for her, but I never knew you'd gotten this close."

"Terra – be quiet," Riku told him sharply, especially while looking at the mortified expression of Naminé and how she continuously tried to explain herself. He was surprised they didn't hear the door knock either. And then, he blamed Sephiroth. The man must've known this would have happened and ached to cause some humiliation for his younger brother by leaving the door open. He did already make fun of Riku and Naminé before. And he never forgot to shut a door, such a trivial task. Only strange mutterings and stammers of vowels actually made their way out. She was a mess and looked as if she would melt any second. He looked at her, concerned. "Naminé – are you alright? You don't look so good. Don't faint on me again."

"I won't," she replied weakly, and sat on the bed, then buried herself under the duvet in an effort to not show her face to anyone in the room.

"Aqua was right when she called you cute," Terra mused, comparing Naminé to small animals. "Reminds me of the family of bunnies that live in the backyard of my parents' place."

Riku saw Naminé's ears from where he sat and watched the colour of them become rosy. She was going to faint if she got any more embarrassed. In an effort to stop Terra before he caused any more damage he said, "Naminé, we'll be back," and pushed Terra out the door.

* * *

"So, what'd you come here for, Terra." He found himself more annoyed that his moment with Naminé had been disrupted. Then, he flushed, wondering why he found it so important. Riku wondered what Yuna would think about it all. He didn't want to hurt her more – even if they already broke up and never spoke to one another. They remained tied. Even if he tried to move on, he was always brought back like a stretched rubber band let loose. He would never be able to snap it. And Sora…

"Riku – you look a little glum." Looking at Terra, Riku wanted to know what he knew. Terra was perceptive when he wished to be and could decipher someone's feelings rather easily when he chose to be less lazy and carefree like now. "Before you can comment on my incredible observational skills, Sephiroth set me up to it. He knew what you'd find in the file." He remained silent for a moment before he continued, "I know you weren't really cozying it up with Naminé."

Riku leant against the wall and sighed. "So it's true – I wasn't just hallucinating. He knows I go to school here… and at this residence. Why would he choose to be in this residence as well?"

"I don't know, but Sephiroth was worried about you, though like usual, he tried not to show it," Terra told him. He tried to look a little more optimistic and smiled weakly. "Maybe he's just here to talk."

_He might not hate you_

_He might just be acting that way. _

_He never said it._

_Maybe he's just here to talk._

_**Maybe… you'll never know if you don't talk to him**_.

Naminé's words floated through his mind like miniature submarines of blues and yellows and gold in a sea of darkness, some light in the dark debris which accumulated. He found it funny how such a meek girl could ever think of such meaningful words – then, he supposed it was what made her special. It was truth as well. Even though he found himself similar to Terra, he'd never been as straightforward, full of meaning. In that sense, the male was more similar to Naminé, always seeking to comfort, always telling him that his life wasn't as big of a shit hole as it seemed to be.

For that, he knew he was thankful. Or else, he would have broken down. Yuna's smile didn't exist to him anymore. Neither did Sora's.

Only Terra's, Aqua's and now Naminé's comforted him now. He was thankful because without them, he would have drowned. Their truth was one of light and not of darkness, to see the glass half full as opposed to his pessimism.

"Damn it, Sora, why did you have to come here now?" he whispered, and slid down the wall he leant against until he sat, leaning against it with his legs spread out in front of him. "You don't even know how much I miss you and how difficult it is to receive status updates from your mother about Yuna's condition." He slammed his fist against the floor and felt the pain radiate through his hand, calming him down a little. "I hate this," he concluded.

"Hey, hey, calm down," Terra told him encouragingly. "At least you have a chance to talk to him now. Haven't you been telling Aqua and I about how much you wanted to talk to him. If I ever got the chance to talk to Ventus," he said, the name especially a little awkwardly and reluctantly, "I know I would jump and take the chance, because it could be forever before I get another. Think about it the same way with Sora. He'll never know your side until you explain, and he can never get around to forgiving you unless you stop being a coward." He paused, clenching his own fists. "I know that was idiotically optimistic, but it's the only choice you have. It's easier said than done, but you have to do it."

"My only shot, huh?" Riku repeated. He knew Terra was right – he had to talk to Sora, like he remembered telling Naminé's group in the cafeteria before. He would do anything to fix his mistake; his bravery couldn't disappear on him now. "You're right. I just have to face him when he comes. Hopefully he'll choose to listen to me. Though, if he doesn't, I don't think I can blame him."

"No one can control the way they feel," Terra whispered.

Silence took over, and the dark waters accumulated. He knew without a doubt, that without his three anchors, he would sail upon the seas forever, never hitting land. He would finally succumb to the waves without finding the light. He wouldn't let that happen.

He wouldn't let himself drown.

* * *

_Words: 3 288_


End file.
